Lucknow, Dec 18 (TIWN) Senior BJP leader and ex-cabinet minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Sunday that for decades, Muslim votes are being "chewed like chewing gum" and "chucked like castaway".

Addressing 'Minorities Rights Day' programme, organised by Uttar Pradesh Minorities Commission in Lucknow, Naqvi said that the "crook contractors of votes" have committed "cruel, communal, criminal conspiracy" against the minorities to "hijack" their socio-economic and educational empowerment. Naqvi added, "Today, India has become the flagbearer of inclusive empowerment by crushing the curse of communalism." Naqvi said that the "treacherous traders of votes" are responsible for economic, educational and social backwardness of some sections of the Muslim community.